Apple Puts TV Plans On Hold As Focus Turns Toward iWatch, Says Report

Apple's entrance into the high definition television market is being put on hold as the company turns to wearable devices, according to a new report. Apple has made the decision to focus much of its resources on pushing out an iWatch, which has been rumored off and on throughout the year. With industry-wide interest in smartwatches on the rise, Apple allegedly doesn't want to fall behind in a potentially lucrative market—especially with Google and Microsoft also rumored to release their own wearables.

According to a new NPD DisplaySearch report, Apple TV plans are currently "on hold" as Apple "possibly" looks toward a roll-out of wearable devices. NPD's information is far from concrete, though unnamed sources claim Apple's TV plans are in a static state, with disagreements with content partners allegedly keeping the project from moving forward. Recently, Apple has made some key acquisitions that many feel suggest an iWatch is imminent. Indeed, Apple CEO Tim Cook late last month said the company has an eye on entering new product categories in 2014—an iWatch is expected to be a marquee product.

There have been recent murmurs surrounding Apple's existing set-top TV box, but talk around an actual TV has been decidedly more scarce. In October, an analyst claimed Apple is furiously building out 55-inch and 65-inch 4K UDH TVs, but that's apparently now on hold. Apple is reportedly testing flexible LG OLED displays in preparation for a big smartwatch push next year—with NPD putting in its two cents, it appears we can definitely expect an iWatch to be part of Apple's lineup in the coming months.